About This Service
Solar designed around your business
Commercial solar is fundamentally different from domestic solar — the financial case is driven by self-consumption during business hours, the DNO process is more complex, and the structural and electrical considerations of commercial rooftops require a different level of design work. We approach commercial projects with the same rigour we apply to domestic installations, scaled appropriately.
We install commercial solar systems from 20kW to 250kW across the East of England. Larger projects are assessed on a case-by-case basis and may involve working with specialist structural engineers, planning consultants or multiple DNO connection agreements. We'll tell you at the outset what the project involves and what the realistic timeline looks like.
Business-hours self-consumption
The economics of commercial solar depend almost entirely on daytime self-consumption — how much of what you generate you actually use during business hours, when the premises is occupied and energy demand is highest. For offices, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and farms with daytime energy demand, self-consumption rates of 70–90% are achievable without battery storage. We model your half-hourly consumption data against irradiance data for your specific location before recommending a system size.
G99 DNO process
Commercial systems above 16A per phase (typically above 11kW on single-phase or above 32kW on three-phase) require a G99 application to the Distribution Network Operator. This is a formal engineering assessment that can take 8–26 weeks and may require a protection relay, export limiting, or a dedicated DNO metering arrangement. We manage the full G99 process and build the expected timeline into project planning.
Agricultural and barn roof installations
Agricultural buildings — particularly steel portal frame barns and grain stores — are often ideally suited to solar. Roof areas are large, orientation is often good, and agricultural energy demand (refrigeration, irrigation pumps, lighting, EV charging for farm vehicles) frequently aligns with solar generation periods. We work with farmers and agricultural businesses throughout East Anglia and are familiar with the specific structural and planning requirements that apply.
Zero VAT on commercial solar
Solar PV installations on commercial premises benefit from zero-rate VAT (reduced from 20% in April 2022 for qualifying installations). We'll confirm applicability for your specific project at the survey stage.